US Halts Afghanistan Police Training In Wake of Attacks

Training for new Afghan police recruits has been suspended so that US officials can 're-vet' current police.

Afghanistan police training has been suspended by US troops in the wake of "green on blue" attacks against NATO forces by Afghan soldiers or policemen.

The halt in training applies to about 1,000 new Afghan Local Police (ALO) recruits, and is being put in place to allow officials to "re-vet" their current police forces.

“While we have full trust and confidence in our Afghan partners, we believe this is a necessary step to validate our vetting process and ensure the quality indicative of Afghan Local Police," Army Col. Thomas Collins, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said in a written statement issued by the Department of Defense.

The Afghan Local Police program sends American Special Operations forces to train Afghan recruits in rural areas; these trained officers are intended to serve as an important presence as international troops pull out of the region, the New York Times reported.

"This is a temporary suspension," said Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi, CNN reported. "We would like to see the continuation of these training programs because they are very important."

Over the past month, at least 15 American or other international soldiers have been killed either by Afghan forces or other Afghans, the Times reported. At least 45 Western military troops have been killed in such attacks over the last year, NATO officials said.